A critical look at the success of film, video, television, and the
Internet in education.
Since the days of Thomas Edison, technology has held the promise of
lowering the cost of education. The fantasy of leveraging a fixed
production cost to reach an unlimited number of consumers is an enticing
economic proposition, one that has been repeatedly attempted with each
new media format, from radio and television to MOOCs, where star
academics make online video lectures available to millions of students
at little cost.
In Sage on the Screen, Bill Ferster explores the historical,
theoretical, and practical perspectives of using broadcast media to
teach by examining a century of efforts to use it at home and in the
classroom. Along the way, he shares stories from teachers,
administrators, entrepreneurs, and innovators who promoted the use of
cutting-edge technology--while critically evaluating their motives for
doing so.
Taking a close look at the origins of various media forms, their
interrelatedness, and their impact on education thus far, Ferster asks
why broadcast media has been so much more successful at entertaining
people than it has been at educating them. Accessibly written and full
of explanatory art, Sage on the Screen offers fresh insight into the
current and future uses of instructional technology, from K12 through
non-institutionally-based learning.